Fresh air vent

ABSTRACT

A fresh air vent designed to allow fresh air to flow into a house at a controlled rate is disclosed. The vent consists of a rectangular box which can be inserted in or mounted on the interior surface of the wall of a room of the house, with the front panel of the vent being provided with an opening, which may be in the form of a plurality of small vent holes, which allows air to flow from the interior of the device into the room. On the back surface of the box there is located an opening which is adapted to receive the end of an air inlet tube, the tube extending through the exterior wall of the building to admit air into the vent box. A control valve is located within the box between the inlet and outlet openings, the valve being adjustable to regulate the flow of air through the box. This control valve is in the form of a slidable gate which may be moved across the opening to permit exact regulation of the air flow through the box.

Wilmes Filed:

App]. N0.: 159,271

FRESH AIR VENT Inventor: Fran Wilmes, 1524 14th Avenue.

South, St. Cloud, Minn.

July 2, 1971 [52] US. Cl. ..98/4l, 251/286, 251/310 [51] Int. Cl. ..F24f13/08 [58] Field of Search; ..251/286, 304, 310, 251/309; 98/106, 406,37, 41

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,198,400 9/1916 Anderson ii ..98/37 X 2,749,833 6/1956 Hekelaar ...98/37 X 3,343,475 9/1967Costley i ..98/37 2,907,587 10/1959 Harris et a1 ..251/3 10 X 1,694,40312/1928 Stevens .25 H286 X 2,621,886 12/1952 Mueller ..251/31O X2,341,113 2/1944 Nelson ..98/4l R [4 1 Apr. 17, 1973 PrimaryExaminer-William Ev Wayner Attorney-Jones and Lockwood [57] ABSTRACT Afresh air vent designed to allow fresh air to flow into a house at acontrolled rate is disclosed. The vent consists of a rectangular boxwhich can be inserted in or mounted on the interior surface of the wallof a room of the house, with the front panel of the-vent being providedwith an opening, which may be in the form of a plurality of small ventholes, which allows air to flow from the interior of the device into theroom. On the back surface of the box there is located an opening whichis adapted to receive the end of an air inlet tube, the tube extendingthrough the exterior wall of the building to admit air into the ventbox. A control valve is located within the box between the inlet andoutlet openings, the valve being adjustable to regulate the flow of airthrough the box. This control valve is in the form of a slidable gatewhich may be moved across 9 the opening to permit exact regulation ofthe air flow through the box.

6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures I eocooomeoco 1 memo mom 1 oooooeooo someone1 06161061 M moo 1 HH 1 I 1111 1% 1 11-1 '1 40 1 1 1 d 1: l .l 50 e e 21Patented April 17, 1973 3,727,539

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 //VVENTO/? FRANCIS A. W/LMES ATTORNEYS Patented April17, 1973 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNl/ENTOR FRANCIS A. W/LMES ATTORNEYS FRESHAIR VENT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates, ingeneral, to air vents, and more particularly to a controllable ventopening that may be installed in the wall of a house in order to permitregulated amounts of fresh air to enter the building.

During the winter months, particularly in northern climates, it becomesnecessary to carefully seal the doors and windows in a house in order toprevent the entry of excessive amounts of cold air. As a result, the airwithin the house can become stale and unpleasant in a relatively shorttime. In addition, the relative humidity within a house sealed tightlyin this manner can vary from the optimum, with an increase in thehumidity causing condensation on windows and exterior wall surfaces thatcan damage the house and a decrease in humidity producing uncomfortableliving conditions. A house that is sealed against the cold in thismanner will normally include storm windows, storm doors and the likethat will cut down the natural inflow of air into the house, and in sucha situation the opening ofa window may not be sufficient to provide theventilation required to overcome these problems, for. storm windows willprevent an appreciable inflow of air. Further, opening a window or adoor does not provide the controlled inflow of air that is necessary toprevent chilling of the house or the creation of uncomfortable drafts.

Even in warmer climates it may be desirable to provide means forallowing fresh air to enter a house or a single room in a controlledmanner in order to freshen the air in the house, to provide a coolingeffect on a single room, or to adjust the air quality in a room to meetthe needs of an individual who is not satisfied with the overall controlprovided by central heating or air conditioning units. Such needs arenot exclusive to houses located in cold climates, but may be equallyneeded wherever a house is tightly. and effectively sealed against theentry of outside air, and where it is desired to provide a controlledflow of freshair into a room; However, no effective yet inexpensive andeasy-to-install device is presently available for accomplishing thesepurposes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the presentinvention to provide a unique air. vent device whichwill permit acontrolled flow of air through a wall opening to the interior ofabuilding.

It is another object of thepresent invention to provide an air ventdevice which provides a diffused flow of air to the interior of a roomand which may be controlled to permit easy adjustment of the rate offlow.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an air ventdevice which may be installed in existing wall structures at a minimumof cost and without disturbing the structural integrity of the wall tothereby provide means for allowinga selected amount of air to flow intothe interior of the building.

It is an additional object of the present invention to I provide asimple, inexpensive, easily installed air vent device for providing aflow of fresh air into the interior ofa building or room thereof.

The various objects of the present invention are carried out by theprovision of an air vent devicewhich is adapted to be installed in thewall of a building and which provides a valved air flow passageway fromthe exterior of the building to the interior. The vent device comprisesan air chamber which may be in the form of a rectangular box and whichis adapted to be mounted on the interior surface ofa wall or in a recessformed in the wall. The surface of the chamber facing the interior ofthe room is provided with a plurality of small apertures through whichair flows in a diffused manner into the room. A passage, whichpreferably is in the form of a tube, extends from the back surface ofthe chamber through the wall to the exterior surface thereof. Exteriorair may then flow in through this passage to the air chamber, and thencethrough the apertures to the interior of the room. An adjustable valvemechanism is provided within the air chamber between the air passage andthe outlet apertures and means are provided to open and close this valveto regulate the flow of air. The device is simple in construction,inexpensive, and may be installed either by attaching the air chamber tothe surface of the wall or insetting it so that its front surface isflush with the surface of the wall, and then drilling a hole through tothe exterior of the wall to accommodate the air passage, which maypreferably be intthe form of a tube. The front panel of the chamber mayconsist of a face plate which extends beyond the edges of the chamber tocover any hole made in the wall and to provide a finished appearance.Upon opening of the adjustable valve, exterior air will flow into theroom, or interior air will flow out through the vents to the exterior,thereby effecting a change in the air within the room and permitting anadjustment of the temperature and humidity levels as 'well as afreshening of the air within that room.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing and additional objects,features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from thefollowing detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof, takenin conjunction with the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an air ventmade in accordance with thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the air vent of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the back of the device of FIG. I with the backcover removed to illustrate the valve in its closed position; and

FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3, but showing the valve in theopen position.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. 1, an airvent 10 made in accordance with the present invention is illustrated asbeing in the form ofa rectangular box. The box is made up of ahousing12, a front plate or cover 14 defining the interior surface of the boxwhich faces the room or area to be ventilated, and a back cover 16 whichcloses the back of the box and which faces the exterior of the room tobe ventilated. The front wall carries a plurality of small apertures 18which permit air to flow from the interior of the air vent device to theroom to be ventilated, the size, spacing and number of aperturesproviding a diffused flow of air that reduces drafts and helps toprevent an excessive flow of air. Also mounted on the front panel orcover 14 isa control knob 20 which is connected to an adjustable airflow control valve to permit selection of the rate of air flow.Extending from the back panel of the vent is a tube 22 which defines anair passage leading from the interior of the air vent to the exteriorsurface of the wall, thereby providing communication between theexterior and interior of a room through the wall thereof.

In the exploded view of FIG. 2, wherein like reference numeralsdesignate like parts, it will be seen that the main housing 12 defines afirst interior opening 24 which constitutes an air chamber or plenum,with a second interior opening 26 being connected to the first anddefining a valve chamber adapted to receive the air flow control valve.The shape of air chamber 24 may take many forms, but it is basicallydesigned to provide a plenum for receiving air from the exterior of theroom by way of the control valve and feeding it through apertures 18 ofthe front cover 14 into the interior of the room. Similarly, valvechamber 26 may take many forms, depending upon the type of valvearrangement provided, with the chamber being so shaped as to form avalve seat which cooperates with the movable valve to provide therequired flow. In the present embodiment, a rotary flow control valve 28is provided which cooperates with the chamber to form a gate that ismovable across the passage between the valve chamber and the plenum.This valve consists ofa disc 30 forming a base on which is mounted asemi-cylindrical valve body 32. The body 32 defines a wall which extendsperpendicularly from the base 30 and extends around a major portion ofit periphery. The cylindrical wall terminates at 34 and 36, these endportions defining an opening in the wall through which air can flow intoair chamber 24 when the valve is open, but which is blocked by the wallof valve chamber 26 when the valve is turned to the closed position. Thebase 30 is mounted on a shaft 38 for rotation therewith, the shaft beingadapted to extend through an aperture 40 in face plate 14 and to receivethe control knob 20. The control knob may be secured to shaft 38 bymeans of a set screw 42 or the like, in conventional manner, wherebyrotation of the control knob effects rotation of the air flow controlvalve 28.

The air flow control valve 28 fits snugly in valve chamber 26, and isrotatable therein in order to align the valve body opening with thepassageway between the valve chamber 26 and the air plenum 24. The valveis also rotatable within the valve chamber to move the wall of valvebody 32 across this passageway in the manner ofa gate valve in order toclose off the air flow. FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the manner in which thevalve body fits within chamber 26, FIG. 3 showing the valve in theclosed position, and FIG. 4 showing the valve in the open position. Asmay be seen in these two Figures, the air chamber 24 joins the valvechamber 26 at a passageway defined by shoulder portions 44 and 46 whichform a valve seat, the wall portion of the valve body 32 cooperatingwith the valve seat to form a sliding rotary gate valve. Shoulderportion 44 carries or is formed with a protrusion 48 which extends intothe opening defined by the ends 34 and 36 of the valve wall 32. Thisprotrusion acts as a valve stop to limit the rotation of the valve body,the end portion 36 of valve 32 striking the stop when the valve hasreached its closed position (FIG. 3) and the end portion 34 strikingstop 48 when the valve has reached its fully open position (FIG. 4). Thevalve stop may, of course, take numerous other forms.

In the disclosed embodiment, the valve body 32 is generally cylindricalin shape and, therefore, the valve chamber 26 is similarly shaped but ofslightly larger diameter. In this form, the valve is easily rotatablebetween its closed and open positions and by providing a snug fit thevalve body will remain in a selected position to permit regulation ofthe size of the opening through which air can flow, and thus to permitregula tion of the amount of air entering a room through the vent.

Referring again to FIG. 2, it will be seen that the front panel 14 maybe secured to the vent housing 12 by means of suitable fasteners 50; insimilar manner, the back cover 16 may be secured to the back of thehousing 12 by suitable fasteners 52. In the illustrated embodiment, thefront and back covers enclose the air flow valve, the valve chamber andthe air chamber, the rear cover including an aperture 54 by means ofwhich air may be admitted into the housing. Aperture 54 preferably isaligned with the axis of cylindrical valve 32 and communicates with theinterior thereof so that the flow of air into the housing is first intothe valve body, then through the opening in the valve into air chamber24, with the angular position of valve 32 determining the width of thevalve opening through which air can flow.

Where the thickness of the wall in which the vent is installed isgreater than the depth of the housing 12, an inlet passage communicatingwith the aperture 54 and leading to the exterior surface of the wall inwhich the device is installed may be provided. Such an inlet passage maybe in the form ofa tube 22 having an inner end 58 which engages aperture54 and which may be held therein by friction, a suitable adhesive, by athreaded fastener, or the like. The outer end 60 of the tube extendsthrough the exterior surface of the wall and may be secured there by athreaded fastener 62 or by other suitable means. Preferably, the outerend of tube 22 carries a fine mesh screen 64 to prevent the entry ofinsects and foreign matter into the tube, as well as a louvred cover 66which prevents the entry of water into the tube. The screen 64 andlouvred cover 66 may be held against the end 60 of the tube by means ofa shoulder 68 formed in the threaded fastener 62.

The air vent 10 may be conveniently installed either on or recessed in awall in any room which is to be ventilated. If the device is to bemounted on the surface of the wall, the back cover 16 may be secured tothe wall, with the housing 12 extending out therefrom. If the device isto be mounted in the wall, a recess is cut therein sufficiently large toaccommodate the outer dimensions of housing 12. The housing is thensecured in the opening so formed, and the front cover 14 is fastened tothe housing. In this latter case, it is desirable to make the coverplate of slightly larger dimensions than the face of the housing 12 sothat the cover will hide the opening cut in the wall. In either mode ofinstallation, a hole is drilled completely through the wall toaccommodate the air passage tube 22 which may then be inserted in thedrilled hole and fastened at its inner end to the back cover 16 and atits outer end to the exterior wall surface by a fastener such as 62. In-

stallation of cover plate 14 and connection of control knob to shaft 38then completes the installation. Rotation of the control knob in aclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 1 serves then to bring end portion36 of the valve into contact with shoulder 44 and projection 48, closingthe valve and preventing the flow of air through the vent device.Rotation of the knob in the opposite direction opens the valveprogressively until the opening in the valve body corresponds in size tothe passage between valve chamber 26 and plenum 24, the end portion 34then coming into contact with stop 48 to prevent further rotation. Atthis point, the valve is fully open.

Thus there has been disclosed a unique, simple and inexpensive air ventwhich may be used to admit fresh air into a room at a controlled rate offlow. Although the invention has been described in terms of a preferredembodiment, it will be apparent that changes may be made in theparticulars of its structure without departing from the true spirit andscope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An air vent for installation in the exterior wall of a building fordirecting a controlled flow of air into a room in the building,comprising:

a housing defining an air chamber, a valve chamber. and a passagejoining said chambers, said passage including shoulder means defining avalve seat;

manually adjustable valve means within said valve chamber for regulatingthe flow of air through said vent, said valve means being a rotatablegate-type valve having a semi-cylindrical wall section moveable acrosssaid passage and cooperating with said valve seat to open and close thepassage, thereby to regulate the flow of air through said air vent;

air inlet means for said valve chamber for communicating with theexterior of said building and bringing air into said air vent, said airinlet means including a rear panel for said housing, an aperture in saidpanel aligned with said valve, and an air inlet passage secured to saidrear panel, said air inlet passage being substantially coaxial with saidsemi-cylindrical wall section of said valve whereby air enters axiallyinto said valve;

air outlet means for said air chamber adapted to communicate with theinterior of said room, said outlet means including a front panel havingaperture means leading to said air chamber;

control shaft means for said valve, said valve being connected to saidcontrol shaft for rotation therewith, said control shaft extendingthrough said front panel whereby the shaft can be manually rotated toadjust the angular position of the valve and thereby regulate the flowof air from said inlet through said valve chamber and air chamber tosaid outlet.

2. The air vent of claim 1, wherein said shoulder means carries a valvestop which abuts one end or the other of said cylindrical wall sectionto limit the motion of said valve.

3. The air vent of claim 1, wherein said air inlet passage comprisestube means secured to said rear panel.

4. The air vent of claim 1 wherein said semi-cylindrical valve walldefines a valve opening which is adapted for alignment with said passageoining said air and valve chambers.

5. The air vent of claim 4, wherein said passage is substantiallyperpendicular to the axis of said air inlet means and to the axis ofsaid valve means.

6. The air vent of claim 5, wherein said valve is mounted coaxially onsaid control shaft for rotation therewith.

1. An air vent for installation in the exterior wall of a building fordirecting a controlled flow of air into a room in the building,comprising: a housing defining an air chamber, a valve chamber, and apassage joining said chambers, said passage including shoulder meansdefining a valve seat; manually adjustable valve means within said valvechamber for regulating the flow of air through said vent, said valvemeans being a rotatable gate-type valve having a semi-cylindrical wallsection moveable across said passage and cooperating with said valveseat to open and close the passage, thereby to regulate the flow of airthrough said air vent; air inlet means for said valve chamber forcommunicating with the exterior of said building and bringing air intosaid air vent, said air inlet means including a rear panel for saidhousing, an aperture in said panel aligned with said valve, and an airinlet passage secured to said rear panel, said air inlet passage beingsubstantially coaxial with said semi-cylindrical wall section of saidvalve whereby air enters axially into said valve; air outlet means forsaid air chamber adapted to communicate with the interior of said room,said outlet means including a front panel having aperture means leadingto said air chamber; control shaft means for said valve, said valvebeing connected to said control shaft for rotation therewith, saidcontrol shaft extending through said front panel whereby the shaft canbe manually rotated to adjust the angular position of the valve andthereby regulate the flow of air from said inlet through said valvechamber and air chamber to said outlet.
 2. The air vent of claim 1,wherein said shoulder means carries a valve stop which abuts one end orthe other of said cylindrical wall section to limit the motion of saidvalve.
 3. The air vent of claim 1, wherein said air inlet passagecomprises tube means secured to said rear panel.
 4. The air vent ofclaim 1 wherein said semi-cylindrical valve wall defines a valve openingwhich is adapted for alignment with said passage joining said air andvalve chambers.
 5. The air vent of claim 4, wherein said passage issubstantially perpendicular to the axis of said air inlet means and tothe axis of said valve means.
 6. The air vent of claim 5, wherein saidvalve is mounted coaxially on said control shaft for rotation therewith.